Be a Man!
by Kino no Tabibito
Summary: What if Mulan hadn't fallen in love with Shang, but with his younger sister instead? Storyline will obviously be different from origianl movie. Femslash. Chapter 3 was edited.
1. Chapter 1

A femslash I thought of after watching Mulan on YouTube. Aah~The wonders of technology nowadays~

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_The night was clear, dark shreds of cloud partly obscuring the moon's bright face. Below, spread across the land like a giant serpent; lay the Great Wall of China. It was China's pride and joy, a silent guardian, fortified to protect their land against any that wished them harm. Crouched on a hillock far below the battlements, the figure allowed a glint of a smile to flash from beneath his heavy fur hood. Soon… Soon all would change._

* * *

Mulan hummed as she dipped the brush into the ink tablet by her bed. With delicate strokes, she traced the words onto her own arm, using the sheet of paper as reference. "Let's see...quiet, and demure, graceful, polite, kind, poised…"She finished the last few delicate strokes of the brush. "Punctual!"

The cock crowed and the girl jumped from her spot on the bed with a frantic cry. The copying of the notes had taken far longer than she had expected. Stuffing one final heap of rice into her mouth, she ran from her bedroom. Entering the opposing room, she cooed affectionately at her idiot of a dog. "Who's the smartest doggy in the world?!" The animal leapt up, wagging his tail delightedly. Tying a bag of chicken feed to his collar, she opened the door, letting him tear out into the yard, therefore accomplishing one of her morning chores. She grinned triumphantly. One down, one to go.

Dressed properly, she emerged from the house, neatly balancing a teapot and cup on a brown tray. Passing Khan, she stroked the stallion's muzzle and planted a kiss upon his forehead. The stallion nickered affectionately, nudging her chest. She smiled and continued on her way, dodging a small gaggle of chickens. Judging by the trail of chicken feed, she guessed correctly that they had already been fed. Passing under the circular entrance to the gardens, she trotted up the cobblestone walkway.

Lifting her skirt to prevent from tripping, she ascended the stairs leading to the small shrine. Mulan smiled fondly at her dog, who was whimpering helplessly, snapping at the bone just out of his reach. She knew that it had been a good idea to put aside the bone from dinner last night. Putting it into his mouth, she turned and walked straight into her father.

Glass clinked as the teacup smashed onto the ground, the steaming pot of tea hanging upon Fa Zhou's walking stick. "Mulan…" he said warningly. The girl just smiled and produced a second cup from her belt.

"I brought a spare."

"Mulan…"

Mulan tipped the pot, pouring the tea into the cup. "Remember, the doctor said three cups in the morning and three at night." She placed the cup into his large, callused hands.

"Mulan, you should be in town already."

Mulan smiled. "Don't worry about me, Father. I won't disappoint you." Surreptitiously, she pulled her sleeve down, hiding her cheat notes. Turning, she ran down the steps, waving to her father as she went.

He watched her go. His eldest and only child. Always an abundance of smiles and energy. Fa Zhou sighed. If only she had been born a boy… He glanced down at the dog by his feet. It looked up at him with large eyes. "…I think I'll go pray some more…"

* * *

Riding bareback through town, Mulan lifted an eyebrow as she watched her grandmother waving to her mother from beyond a wreck of broken wagons and goods. She wasn't completely sure what happened and she was quite sure she didn't want to know. Hopefully no one would want to press charges. Smiling, she shook her head. It was no mystery who she resembled in the family.

Pulling to a stop next to her mother, she flipped down from the horse.

"Ta-Da!" The elder Fa glared at her. Mulan's smile faded. "What?" she whined. "I had to-" Her mother sighed frustratedly. "No excuses. Let's get you cleaned up." Grabbing her elbow, she dragged the disheveled girl into the shop. Khan watched her go sympathetically and snorted. His mistress was in for it now.

* * *

Dressed and primped to perfection, Mulan flinched as the doors to the matchmaker's quarters flew open with a bang. "Fa Mulan." The girl jumped up with a smile. "Present!" Her enthusiasm was greeted with a frown and lifted eyebrow. The fat woman made a note on her board. "Speaking without permission," she muttered. "Oops…" She walked forward, already filled with a sense of forboding. The doors slammed shut behind her.

Mulan's eyes followed the matchmaker nervously as the elder woman eyed her critically. "Hmm…" She made a note on her board. "Too skinny."

Mulan's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. _What on earth… _Just as the matchmaker turned away, the cricket decided to jump onto her shoulder. Forcing down a gasp of surprise, Mulan grabbed the cricket, attempting to put it back into the cage. Slipping from her grasp, it leapt to and fro until, for lack of better place to put it, Mulan stuffed it in her mouth, just as the matchmaker glared at her. _Okay, hi Grandmamma, I don't know what's wrong with this cricket you gave me, but I think it's broken…_

"Recite the code."

Smiling through a mouthful of cricket, Mulan fumbled for her fan and snapped it open, spitting Cricket out to one side. "Um…Fulfill your duties calmly and…" She sneaked a look at the blurred notes on her inner forearm. "Respectfully. And…um…relax before you snack..I-I mean act!Reflect before you act! This shall bring you honor and glory!"

She finished off in a rush, giving a sigh of sheer relief. The matchmaker suddenly grabbed her arm and confiscated her fan, twitching it from back to front, checking for cheat notes. "Hmm…"

Mulan shrank from her squinted gaze of suspicion and offered a sheepish smile. Huffing, the matchmaker returned the fan. Dragging Mulan to a nearby desk and she shoved her down. "Now, pour the tea." Mulan gawked as the woman exposed a hand, blackened by ink from her arm. "To be a good bride, one must always maintain an air of…," The matchmaker unconsciously drew a large beard on her face. "Dignity." The tea from the pot flooded the table as she stared at the matchmaker's face. Looking down, she quickly corrected her mistake and poured the tea into the cup, suddenly noticing the presence of Cricket, who was lounging comfortably in the cup.

Before she could remove the offending individual, the matchmaker took the cup and sniffed. Mulan cringed as the woman took a gulp and nearly choked, instantly spitting the Cricket out. "Bleh! Are you trying to kill me?!" Jumping up, she lost her balance, knocking over the small furnace used to boil the tea and falling upon the coals. "AIEEEE!"

Mulan jumped up as well as the matchmaker ran about frantically, screaming for someone to put out the fire. Fanning it frantically with her fan, Mulan's only result was to create a roaring fire upon the woman's backside.

The crowd gathered outside waited anxiously as screams sounded from inside. Suddenly, the twin doors slammed open once again revealing the matchmaker, slapping frantically at the fire on the butt. The grandmother chuckled in amusement. "Oho, anyone fancy fried pig?!"

"Grandmother!" cried Mulan's mother in shock.

The crowd watched in horrified amusement as Mulan grabbed the teapot and splashed in straight into the victim's face. The matchmaker stared flatly at Mulan as the girl returned the teapot to her and quickly went to join her mother, covering her face with her sleeve. The matchmaker threw the teapot after the trio's retreating backs. "You'll never be a proper bride, you hear me?! NEVER!"

Mulan flinched at the harsh words. Her grandmother laid a comforting hand upon her arm. Mulan favored her with a quivering smile and took control of Khan's harness. "M-May I go on ahead?" The two elder women exchanged looks, then her mother smiled sadly and nodded. Mulan pulled herself onto the horse's back without her usual enthusiasm. Giving Khan a gentle nudge of her heels, she rode off. The two women watched her go, fearful of her future.

* * *

Reaching home, Mulan dismounted from Khan and led him inside, eyes downcast. Feeling a gaze upon her, she looked up to meet her father's hopeful eyes and half-smile. Ashamed, she looked down again, quickly leading Khan into his fold and removing his harness. The horse gently lipped her clothes, regarding her with soft brown eyes. Mulan smiled sadly, and then exited the fold, watching as her father greeted her mother. His face fell and Mulan felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Unable to look any longer, she set off towards the garden.

Upon entering, she stared into the pool of clear water, reflecting her face back at her. Wiping the make-up from her face, she stared hard at her own face. "Maybe…this isn't the role I'm meant to play…"

Soft footsteps alerted her of another's presence. Her father joined her to stare at the blossoms. "What beautiful floweres." Mulan looked away, her heart clenching as cold fear trickled down her spine. "I'm sorry father." He acted as if he had not heard her. "But there's one which has not bloomed. It's probably going to bloom more beautifully than all the rest. Wouldn't you agree?" He smiled down at his wayward daughter.

Mulan's eyes widened, then smiled gratefully at her father and wrapped her arms around him.

The sound of drums thundered in the air. Fa Zhou lifted his head and Mulan untangled her arms from his torso. "Father, what's wrong?" A look of worry crossed his features and he stood, a soft groan of pain passing his lips as he willed his crippled leg to support him.

Mulan followed him as he advanced towards the street, a feeling of dread flooding her. Her father stared out at the three soldiers on their horses, surrounded by the people of their small village. Mulan joined him, along with her mother and grandmother. Her mother held her back as Fa Zhou walked out the door. "No, stay here Mulan. Don't interfere."

Mulan looked in frustration at her father's back. Her grandmother coughed, catching her attention, gesturing towards a ladder leaning against the wall. Running towards it, she scaled the wall quickly, just in time to see a scrawny man with a haughty expression snap open a scroll and begin reading. "I bring news from the Imperial City! The Huns have invaded and it is the Royal Proclamation that one man from each family much serve in the Emperor's Army!"

He coughed importantly and looked down at the scroll once more, snapping out names. One by one, young men came forward to accept the scrolls. Mulan felt a trickle of fear run down her spine. One man from each family, this would certainly mean… "The Fa family!" "No…" she whispered, looking down towards her father. He handed his crutch over to her mother and stepped forward, head held high as he limped forward to accept the scroll. Mulan leapt down from the ladder and raced out the door, intercepting her father just as he was about to accept the scroll. "Father, no! You can't do this!"

Fa Zhou turned in shock. "Mulan!" he exclaimed.

The girl stared pleadingly up at the soldier. "Sir, my father has already served the country loyally and-"

She was cut off by the tall thin man. "Silence." He glared at Fa Zhou. "You would do well to teach your daughter to hold her tongue while in a man's presence." He handed the scroll to Fa Zhou with a final sneer of derision in Mulan's direction. "Report tomorrow morning at the Wu Shong camp."

Mulan turned towards her father, opening her mouth to issue an apology, to beg him not to go. Fa Zhou averted his gaze from Mulan. "Mulan, you dishonor me."

Mulan's features crumpled in sorrow at her father's words. Her mother grabbed her shoulders to gently lead her away. "Come Mulan. There is nothing you can do." Mulan lowered her head and let her mother lead her into the house while behind her, the man continued calling out the names of families.

The dinner that night was silent and tense. Shoulders stiff with anger, Mulan lifted the teapot to refill the cups around the desk and suddenly set it d

* * *

own with a thud upon the table. "This isn't right! You shouldn't need to do this!" Her father calmly set his cup upon the table. "I consider it an honor to serve my country." Mulan scowled angrily. "There are plenty of able-bodied men to serve China! Would you die to serve your honour and pride?!" Fa Zhou stood up suddenly. "I will die doing what I believe is right!" "But-" Her father cut her off angrily. "I know my place Mulan. Know yours as well!" Mulan recoiled as if stung. She stared up at her father with pained eyes and ran from the house.

Fa Zhou sat down heavily, his gaze stony as he watched his daughter flee the house. He briefly met his wife's slightly accusing gaze. "Do not say I was too harsh with her. It is a lesson she will one day need to learn. Better it be from me than another."

Hiding beneath the stone dragon sometime later, with the storm raging about her, Mulan stared bitterly on at the figures illuminated through the window. She watched as her father blew the candle out, everything fading to black. Her father could not go to war. Mulan knew his legacy as a soldier, his brave deeds and his strength. That man did not exist anymore, not after the crippling wound he had taken to his leg. She would not allow him to now hardened, her brows furrowed as she made up her mind. She would go to war, not her father. And she would bring honor to her family, one way or another.

Stealing into her parent's room, she snatched the scroll issued by the soldier from the bedside table, gently depositing her flowered comb in its stead. She cast a final gaze at her parents, knowing very well that it may be the last time she would see them. Opening her father's cupboard, she removed his sword from his scabbard. Taking a deep breath, she positioned the sword above a lock of her hair and sliced down. Several moments later, hair cropped short, dressed in her father's armor and leading Khan, Mulan looked back one last time. The horse nickered softly. Mulan bit her lip and steeled her resolve. "Hyah!" The doors were crashed wide open as the horse and rider rode off into the night, unknowing what destiny had in store for them.

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Alright! A revised first chapter. Hope you like it. =)


	2. Chapter 2

Second Chapter up! And so quickly too! Anyways, to all those reading my other fics, I'm kinda busy these days, so I'll do my best to update on them as well. Sorry for the lack of creativity on the first chappie. I'll make it up to you on the second.

Unknown to Mulan, her sudden disappearance had caused a great deal of turmoil between her spiritual ancestors.

"WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS ALL ABOUT?!"

"NOT EVERYONE IS AS PERFECT AS YOU!"

"Noooo,YOUR GIRL HAD TO GO AND BE A BLOODY CROSS-DRESSER!"

"IT'S NOT LIKE EVERYONE WANTS TO LEAD BORING NORMAL LIVES LIKE YOU, YOU-"

"SILENCE!"

The head spirit stared sternly down at the other spirits, waiting patiently as they sniffed and returned to their original spots to tend their wounded pride. Honesty, it was like tending to a group of 5 year olds. "We," he stated importantly. "Must send a guardian to bring her back." Staring at the golden sculpture of a dragon, he waved his staff. "Mushu, awaken." A rattling sound filled the temple and with a clang, the small dragon hit the floor in a cloud of smoke. "Oh, I awaken all right. Who do you need me to protect this time, oh great ancestors? I'm gonna give those enemies of them a right whupping!"

The spirits exchanged brief glances before bursting into raucous laughter. Hiccupping slightly from his bout of unseemly amusement, Mulan's eldest ancestor wiped his eyes before addressing Mushu. "You have lost your chance, oh demoted one."

Mushu scowled. "Oh come on. Like it'll kill you to give me one more chance!" He was grabbed instantly by the tail and thrown bodily out the door, gong and stick following soon after. "GO AND AWAKEN THE TRUE DRAGON, MUSHU!"

The force of the throw carried him right to the feet of the stone dragon. Shaking his head dizzily, he glared into its face. "Stupid thing," he muttered. Clanging his gong noisily, he shouted up at it. "COME ON YOU STUPID STONE DRAGON! WAKE UP! WAY PAST THE BEAUTY SLEEP THING!" The dragon stayed as inanimate as before. Scowling, he tried several more times with the same result. Nothing. Losing his temper, he hurled the gong right at the thing's head. The gong struck with a dull clang and rolled away. A crack suddenly split right up his body. Mushu paled. "Oh shit..." With a series of thundering rumbles, the dragon disintegrated into a pile of dust and rock.

"Oh man oh man oh man oh man, I am so DEAD!" As if sensing his thoughts, the head spirit glanced out the window right at that time. "Have you awakened, Stone Dragon?" Anxiously wringing his claws, Mushu quickly grabbed the stone dragon's head and placed it in front of his own face. "Uh, yeah! I'm awake. Just woke up in fact! I will...uh...go and fetch Mulan! And...uh...do whatever it is that stone dragon's do!" The head spirit waved his staff. "Go with my blessings, and bring Mulan back safely!" Mushu tried to nod and quickly lost his balance, falling back down the hill. He sat glumly down on the head. "Oh man, I'm doomed. I'm gonna be turned into a frickin' lizard for this! And all for what? Because little Miss Man decides to have a teenage gender crisis and go on a cross-country drag show!"

A chirp caught his attention. He looked down at the cricket that had joined him. "Whaddaya mean, I go and fetch Mulan?! You think I'm crazy or somethin'?!" More chirps. "So, you say that I can get promoted then?" He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Not a bad idea." Again, the cricket chirped. "And you want me to bring you 'cause you're lucky?" The cricket nodded. Mushu shrugged. "Fine, whatever. You might be useful in the end." And so, the odd duo was formed as the two began their journey to find Mulan.

Mulan coughed, clearing her throat. This was her fifteenth time. She had to get it right, she HAD to. Instead, her attempt at being 'manly' sent the Khan rolling on the ground in hysterics. Mulan scowled in annoyance. Surely her acting wasn't _that_ bad. Taking off her shoe, she threw it at her steed's head. "I'm _working_ on it, all right?" Sighing, she picked up the shoe and put it back on, looking down at the army camp below. Khan joined her. "Who am I kidding; it's going to take a miracle to get me into that camp."

Mushu smirked from behind the rocks. That was totally his cue. He nodded at Cricket. Fire…and showtime! He could feel his day getting just better and better as he gave his introduction. The kid thought that he was awesome, he could feel it! Then he emerged from behind the rocks and got trampled by that stupid cow…aaaand his day got bad again.

Mulan squinted at her supposed guardian. "My ancestors sent me a…lizard to take care of me?" Mushu glared up at her. "Hey, hey, hey, watch it! I'm a dragon, not a lizard. I don't do the weird tongue thing." He demonstrated. Mulan felt a headache coming on. This was hopeless, she was hopeless, everything was hopeless. She was going to be found out the moment she stepped into that camp and all because she had a teeny-tiny lizard/dragon for a guardian. Mushu seemed to sense her disappointment. "Hey, come on girl! You'll be fine! I'm a totally great guardian!"

Mulan stared at him, a little more hopeful. "Really?" Mushu stared at his charge, who was giving him puppy-dog eyes. Man, she was a lot better than the last person he had to look after. He had been just a load of…Never mind. He concentrated on the girl's wide-eyed pleading stare. "That's a fact, girly! I'm totally awesome and don't you forget it. Now pack it up, we gotta move."

Upon entering the camp, Mulan immediately had a feeling that this was not one of her better ideas. The men were so…so…disgusting. The thought of having to survive among them made her slightly nauseous. "Look!" The sudden shout startled her and she jolted to a halt as a man ripped his shirt open to reveal a large tattoo of a dragon splayed across his chest and belly. "This is gonna protect from harm!" Mushu huffed in annoyance from his spot beneath her ear. "Huh, fat lot o' good a fake dragon tattoo's gonna do for him. Punch him and see if it's true." Mulan was shocked. "No way! Why would I do that?!"

The dragon sighed. His little charge had no _idea_ what it was like to be a soldier. "They like that. Just punch him and do it hard. You'll look cooler that way." Mulan screwed up her face and stared hesitantly back at Mushu. "Are you sure…?" The miniature dragon glared at her. "Am I sure?! 'Course I'm sure! Jus' punch him and we'll see whose right!" Just then, a short, strongly-built man who rather resembled a gorilla, slammed his fist into the tattooed man's stomach. Mushu ducked under Mulan's collar and called out a challenge. "Hey you, Gorilla-Boy, don't you go around punching other people's victims! You too, Chopstick!"

The two men turned to glare at him. The gorilla-like man eyeballed him. "What did you just say, princess?!" His companion cheered him on. "Yeah, you tell him Yao!" Mulan gulped nervously. "Heheh, now now, let's not get ahead of ourselves now…" Yao advanced, cracking his knuckles menacingly. "I'm gonna teach you to call me Gorilla-Boy, princess!" Mulan laughed nervously and then started to run for her life. "After him!" "Go cut him off, Ling!" "Yao, you must remain calm."

Mushu looked at the angry men from his spot in Mulan's collar. "Hmm, maybe my idea wasn't so great after all." Mulan ignored him and continued running, ducking through a tent. The three men followed soon after, running out the other entrance without seeing her hiding in a shadowy corner. Mulan sighed in relief and looked out, just in time to see the monk slam into the two other men, successfully knocking an entire line of soldiers waiting for lunch. Mulan's eyes widened in horror as the men turned to stare to the back of the line. Exactly where she was oh-so-conveniently standing. "I am doomed." Mushu nodded his agreement. "You are so right."

Yueh hummed a soft tune as she tilted the teapot, the liquid steaming as it flowed into her father's cup. He smiled gratefully at her as he pointed out battle plans to her Shang. Yueh hid a smile as she looked at her brother. She was happy for him, being promoted to a captain's status, but at the same time, the thought of them going off to war worried her. "Father, are you sure that you'll be able to hold off the Huns with so few men?"

The tall thin Chih Fu glared down at the girl. "General," he said in an obnoxious tone. "You would do well to teach your daughter not to speak so rashly in the presence of men." The General laughed and tugged fondly at a strand of his daughter's hair. "She is a good girl, intelligent, like her father. She'll make a good wife one day." He turned a dangerous smile upon Chih Fu. "Wouldn't you agree?"

The counselor sputtered in rage then managed to compose himself with a disdainful sniff. "Very well, General," he said stiffly. "But mark my words, girls like that are nothing but trouble." The general turned away from him. "You're nothing but trouble…" Yueh stifled a snort of laughter as she set down the teapot. Her father might have been the poster-boy for society's ideal of a manly man but he had never shown the slightest inclination to treat his only daughter as anything less than capable.

The sounds of fighting reached their ears from outside the tent. "What's going on out there?!" The three men ran from the tent, leaving Yueh to sigh and shake her head. Men. She busied herself about the small tent, ignoring the ruckus outside. Soon, she heard the thundering sound of hooves, signaling her father's departure. Following that was the sound of her brother's angry bellows. Yueh frowned. Shang always made it a point to appear cool and composed, even if his suppression of his fiery temper always brought on massive migraines. It must be something really big if it could get him to start yelling.

Parting the tent flap, she peeked out curiously. Her eyes widened as she took in the mass of bruised, bloody and bedraggled men, as well as the porridge spilled across the grass. Watching her brother shouting angrily at a young man roughly around her own age, she clucked her tongue sympathetically. He reminded her of a small rabbit she had once saved from the father's hunting hounds.

Deciding that it'd be in her best interest to prevent her brother from bursting a blood vessel, she withdrew and casually knocked the pot of tea to the ground where it shattered. A second later, Shang stuck his head into the tent. "Yueh, what happened? Are you okay?!"

She gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry, just an accident."

Her brother scowled but withdrew after cautioning her to be more careful in the future.

Shang returned to glare down at the newcomer. "What's your name?"

Mulan coughed, deepening her voice. "Hahaha, yeah…I got a name, a really manly name too. It's..uh..it's…"

"Ling!" supplied Mushu.

"Don't be stupid, his name is Ling."

Shang's glare intensified. "I asked for your name, not his! And did you just call your commanding officer stupid?!" Mulan whimpered.

Mushu bit his claw, thinking fast. "How about Chu?" he supplied.

"Uh..Chu."

Shang's eyebrow lifted. "Your name is Ah Chu?"

Mushu snickered. "Mushu!" hissed Mulan angrily.

"Mushu?" A migraine was beginning to creep in upon him. Trust that his first errand as a captain was dealing with a recruit suffering from a severe case of identity crisis.

"NO!"

Shang was losing his temper again. "So what is your name?!"

Mushu snapped his claws. "Ping! He was my best friend growing up!" Mulan uttered the name quickly, hoping that it wasn't too late to prevent the fierce-looking captain from thinking that she was insane. "Ping."

"Your name is Ping." It was a statement, not a question and Mulan quickly grabbed Mushu, effectively shutting him up as she heard his faint muttering again. "Yeah."

Shang looked suspiciously at 'Ping'. The boy's face was pale, and it seemed as though he hadn't even yet hit puberty. "Whose is your father?" Ping started. "My..oh..Fa Zhou." Shang looked incredulously at the gangly teen standing before him. "Fa Zhou. THE Fa Zhou?! That's who your father is?!" The boy nodded anxiously. Despite himself, Shang felt rather faint. He kneaded his brow. Chih Fu extended his thin bony neck over Shang's shoulder and frowned. "Fa Zhou never mentioned a son."

Mulan floundered for a reason other then, 'oh,well, that's actually because I'm not his son, in fact I'm his daughter cross-dressing as his son so that her incredibly stubborn father doesn't go to war and get himself killed!'

"Uh..He doesn't talk much about me."

Shang looked at her critically. "Very well." Turning his gaze upon the other men, all of whom were snickering quietly, he narrowed his eyes. "Thanks to young Ping here, all of you will spend the rest of this day clearing this area of every single grain of rice. Tomorrow, the real work begins. Dismissed." With an impressive swish of his cape, he turned and re-entered his tent.

Mulan gulped nervously as the surrounding men glared menacingly at her, the short one cracking his knuckles and growling. At least the captain's anger wasn't directed on her anymore. She quickly left the circle of men and lead Khan to a small tree just outside the main circle of tents. "Whew, I thought I was done for back there." Mushu poked his head out from her collar. "Aw, you did just fine. Those men gonna think twice 'bout messin' with you now!" Mulan rolled her eyes as she attempted to set up her tent. "Of course," she said sarcastically. "And it's all thanks to you."

The sarcasm flew right over the miniature dragon's head as he grinned brightly at her and gave Mulan a thumb's up. "That's what guardians are for, man!" Mulan groaned, though it was partly because her tent had fallen down. She stared enviously at the neat row of tents. "How do they do it?" she said, scowling down at her own tent, which, for lack of better words, resembled a pile of cloth and sticks lying in a heap upon the ground. Grimacing, she pulled off her armor and tossed it in a heap to the side and began the laborious job of trying to set up her tent.

With the 'help' of Mushu, who mostly just shouted highly unhelpful instructions at her, she managed to create what somewhat resembled a tent, sagging in the middle and wobbling dangerously at the slightest gust of wind. She grinned proudly at her work. "Isn't it great?!" Khan snorted contemptuously and lowered his head, beginning to graze. Mushu leaned against Mulan's leg. "Aw, that cow wouldn't know a good job if it hit him on the head. Come on now, admit it. Don' we make a great team?"

The girl chuckled. The dragon's mood was irresistible. She stretched, working the kinks from her muscles and yelped in sudden shock as a finger poked her lightly in the back. She whirled around, conveniently stepping on Mushu and hiding him from sight. Her eyes widened in surprise as her lips parted in a surprised gasp. A girl. An elegantly clad girl was standing in front of her, smiling brightly.

Yueh hid a snicker behind her sleeve as she stared at the open-mouthed boy. Ladies did not snicker, at least not audibly. "You know, you better close that before you start attracting flies." His jaw instantly snapped shut with a click. She cast an eye over what appeared to be his tent. "Hmm…, you don't seem to be having a very good day." The boy groaned and flopped to the ground. "Tell me about it." He looked at her curiously. "Who are you?" Yueh rolled her eyes and settled herself neatly on the ground beside him. "Don't you think that one should introduce himself before asking a lady for her name?"

Mulan remembered just in time that she was supposed to be a boy and quickly deepened her voice. "I'm..uh..Ping. Fa Zhou's son." The girl's lips quirked in a barely suppressed smile. "Fa Ping. Flower pot? Your parents named you Flower pot?"

Mulan's cheeks burned red and she swore silently that she was going to kill Mushu for thinking up such a horrible name. She remained silent, watching as the girl lost all self-control and rolled about in hysteric laughter.

Hiccupping slightly, Yueh wiped tears from her eyes and gave Ping an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that, but I couldn't help it. My name's Yueh. Nice to meet you." Ping looked at the hand being offered to him and gripped it hesitantly. "Uh…nice to meet you too." Yueh marveled at the softness of his skin, harder and more callused than her own, which were lily-petal soft, but definitely much softer than the hand of any other man she knew. Without relinquishing her hold, she examined his features curiously. His skin was smooth, dark eyes huge in a pale face, overseeing a straight nose and pointed chin.

After a while, a slight blush ran across his face and he began to look rather uncomfortable, reminding Yueh of the fact that she still held his hand hostage. She quickly let go with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, my father tells me I'm too forward sometimes." She met his gaze levelly, assessing his reaction to her sentence. To her surprise, Ping just waved his hand. "It's okay. Nobody's perfect."

Mulan smiled at the girl. With luck, maybe she would have at least one friend in this camp. Even if she was cross-dressing as a boy. She didn't relish the idea of making friends amongst the men, not that they would want to make friends with her in the first place. At least this way her only friend wouldn't have the hygiene of a complete barbarian.

Yueh looked thoughtfully at her for a moment, then smiled amusedly. "And you would know all about that, wouldn't you?" Mulan frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?" Her new friend reached over and flicked her lightly on the nose. "I saw you getting chewed out by the captain earlier. I was in his tent at the time." Mulan winced. "Oh." Just then, an especially strong gust of wind blew the tent over. Mulan stared at it.

"….I give up. I'll sleep in the open."

"Uh huh. Good luck with that. Come nightfall the bugs will realize that there's an all-out buffet."

Mulan stared gloomily at the mess upon the ground. Her new acquaintance was right. Sighing, she excused herself and began to wage a losing war against her tent.

Yueh looked on in bemusement as Ping struggled to set the tent up again. Shaking her head, she stood, dusting off her dress. "Seems like you have everything under control. Good luck….Flower Boy." "HEY!" She ignored his yelp of annoyance and sashayed off back towards the other tents.

Mushu watched her go, now that Mulan had stopped stepping on him and whistled through his teeth. "That is one fine chick, boy." He sniffed, wiping a fake tear from his eye. "Oh…My little boy is growing into a man." Mulan glared down at him. "Yes, she is very pretty, but I'm a girl, not a boy. Therefore, I have no intention of hitting on her at any time. And you. Fancy giving me the name Ping. I'll be lucky if the only person in this camp who doesn't hate me doesn't think I'm a complete retard because of my name." Mushu lay upon the grass, picking lazily at his fangs with a claw. "Oh you'll be fine. Trust me."

Mulan grimaced. Rolling her neck, she crawled into the erected tent. "I hope you're right. Otherwise, I'm going home." Lying in the darkness, she stared at the cloth awning just inches from her face. She had never felt so alone in her life.

"Mushu?"

An acknowledging grunt floated in through the canvas flaps. It sounded as though the little dragon was half asleep.

"Thanks for being here with me."

There was silence for a moment before the dragon replied.

"No problem."

A rustle sounded inside the tent. There was no reply. Mushu sighed. Sitting up he chewed upon a claw, his brow furrowed in thought. An unfamiliar glimmer of guilt dragged at his conscience and try as he might he couldn't push away the uncomfortable emotion that weighed down upon him.

"Dammit. I better not mess up this time."

Anyways...Thanks for reading! If there is actually anybody reading. Gods I hope there are… Reviews are always welcome, especially helpful criticisms or tips. Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

The bright morning sun shone down upon a small white piece of canvas held up by several sticks, with both ends tied to the low-hanging branch of the tree it stood by. If one didn't look too closely, they might think that it was a tent. That is, if their definition of a tent was a something that looked like it was going to fall over in a heap of canvas and sticks any second.

Mulan mumbled something in her sleep as she snuggled deeper into her blankets. Her guardian smiled in a fatherly manner as he looked down at her. Just a second before he produced his gong from nowhere and slammed it right next to her ear. "WAAAHH!" The girl sat up with a yell of surprise and looked around wildly. Seeing only Mushu, she moaned and then threw the covers over her head again. Mushu jumped onto her and banged the gong several more times.

"Come on, rise and shine, sleeping beauty! It's your first day of practice!" Mulan moaned once more and threw the blankets over her head, fully prepared to go back to sleep, had not Mushu pulled them away. "Nonononono, you are not going back to sleep, young lady! I have already made you your breakfast and you are not going to let it go cold!" He dragged her bodily up by the collar and stuffed a piece of bacon into her mouth. Snaking around to the back of her neck, he swiftly tied her hair up while balancing Mulan's breakfast on his head.

"Now," he said, returning to his previous spot in front of her. "Be good, it's your first day of training, so listen closely to the instructor, and don't start any fights. Unless, the other kids start fights in which case you have to kick their butts. Oh, and if you get scars, don't get them on your face. Remember, we want to look cool, not mutated."

Through cheeks bulging with food that Mushu had stuffed into her mouth while talking, Mulan gave the tiny dragon a look that was probably supposed to be one of bewilderment. Mushu smiled fondly at her. Stuffing the last of the food in her mouth, he pinched her cheeks and cooed. "Who's my likkle warrior, hmm? Now, show me your war face!"

Mulan blinked at him through a mouthful of food. "Mrmph?" Mushu rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Come on, girl! We're in a frickin' war here! My bunny slippers wouldn't be scared of you!"

Swallowing the food, Mulan growled angrily at Mushu, more out of annoyance than anything. Startled, the dragon toppled backwards, narrowly avoiding squashing Cricket. Unharmed by his fall, he grinned enthusiastically up at Mulan, giving her a thumbs up. "Ha-Hey! That was great, kid! Now, get out there and show'em what you got!"

Shaking her head with a smile, Mulan headed out the tent, nearly plowing over the person standing in front of it. Stumbling backwards, she tripped over her own feet and for the third time in barely two days, killed her tent. "My tent!" Mulan stared in dismay at what remained of her tent. She had been so proud of it. True, it wasn't as straight or tight or perfect or useful or in any way qualified for being a tent but she had put a great deal of work into it. Fully intending to scold the rude individual who had caused the death of her masterpiece, Mulan looked up into the shadowed features of the person she had bumped into. "Yueh?"

Yueh smiled amusedly at the gangly teen. Kneeling down to his eye level, she brushed a strand of hair from his face and smothered a giggle at his wide-eyed look of anger and surprise. "You know, being late for the first day of practice isn't the best idea. The Captain's going to kill you for under-mining his authority." Her tone was light and teasing. She glanced at the ruined tent. Her new acquaintance was undoubtedly the worst soldier in training she had ever seen.

"I'm LATE?" Jumping up, Ping bowled right over her and ran off, trying to tug on one shoe as he went. Yueh lifted one delicate eyebrow and watched him go. Sighing, she sat down on the fallen tent and stared lazily up the clouds. Turning to look at Ping's horse, she stroked him gently on the muzzle. "You have got one weird master there," she remarked. "Has he always been like this?" The horse just snorted and flicked his tail in a 'Tell me about it' manner. Sighing contentedly as she lay down upon the fallen tent, she closed her eyes as a soft wind ruffled her hair. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep, lulled by the gentle wind upon her face.

Mulan panted as she dashed towards where the other warriors were supposed to be gathered, forcing her aching muscles to continue forward. Dashing into the clearing, she stumbled and tripped as a foot stuck out right when she least expected it. Crashing to the ground, she yelped in pain, ears flushing red in embarrassment at the raucous sound of laughter filling her ears.

A shadow fell suddenly over her and she looked up into the scowling face of Li Shang. A second later, she was hauled bodily upwards by her collar until their noses were touching. His hot breath assaulted her face as he growled angrily down at her. "First you wreck havoc and now you're late for practice. I do not take such insolence lightly, soldier. Now get in line!"

Mulan stumbled once more as he shoved her towards the line of men. Cheeks flushed red in shame, she retreated into the line. Li Shang removed his loose fitting jacket, slinging it carelessly onto a nearby pot of practice poles. Mulan's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed a shade redder. She was no stranger to the male body but this was the first time that she had seen such a perfect physique on someone around her own age. Beside her, Yao sneered scornfully. "Ooh, nice muscles, pretty boy. Don't get a sunburn~" Although this was said in an undertone, Shang apparently heard, since he immediately strung an arrow on the bow he carried and aimed it towards the shorter man. The entire line shifted almost instantly, leaving Yao to stand alone. Noticing the absence of people beside him, Yao looked up, right at the arrowhead.

Shang smiled. "Why, thank you, friend Yao, for volunteering to retrieve my arrow." He aimed it towards the top of a high pole and let loose. The arrow flew straight and true, embedding itself deeply at the very top. Yao gawked at the arrow briefly, then scowled and spit on his palms, rubbing them together. "I'll get your bloody arrow, pretty boy. And I'll do it with my shirt on." He advanced towards the pole and leapt up….only to choke as Shang jerked him backwards suddenly by the collar. Rubbing his neck, he whirled, glaring at Shang with murderous eyes. "Why you-"

Shang merely smiled serenely at him. Mulan lost track of his words as she focused thoughtfully on his features. He and Yueh looked quite alike, she realized. They had the same level gaze, sharp nose and sensual lips. Lost in contemplation, she was jerked back into reality as Shang suddenly raised his voice…and Yao's arm. A large metal disk was now attached to it. "This," he said, his voice carrying easily to the back of the line. "Represents Discipline. And this," he said, attaching a second metal disk to Yao's other arm. "Represents Strength. You will need both to defeat the Huns." He released Yao's arms. "Now you may start climbing."

The shorter man hefted the weights on his arm with a grunt. Staring up at the pole once more, Yao gulped slightly. Steeling his resolve, he spat on his hands once more, bent his knees, and leapt, scrambling up the pole like a monkey. All would have been well, had gravity not caught up with him halfway up. Feeling the weights begin to drag him down, Yao frantically sank his teeth and nails into the wood, desperately trying to hold on, gouging deep lines in the wood as he slid down.

Mulan winced as she watched Yao spit wood from his mouth, throw down the weights and stalk off, grumbling as he did so. Shang picked up the weights and held them up to them, raising a challenging eyebrow as he did so. Ling walked forward, and promptly crashed to the ground, unable to even lift them as they were wrapped around his arms. Chien Po accidently demolished a good length of the wood as he crashed down and looked around guiltily. Then it was her turn. Taking a deep breath, she leapt up….and fell hard, right on her butt.

Shang sighed in frustration, feeling a headache coming on, watching the new recruits walk past him, each glaring reproachfully at the post. "This is going to be sooo much harder than I thought…" he mumbled. Grabbing a handful of poles, he tossed it towards the men. Strangely enough, Ping managed to end up on the ground, with the pole next to him. Ignoring the actions of the weird boy, he tossed two pots into the air with his pole, neatly shattering them to pieces. Shang allowed himself a hidden smile as he watched his men's amazed gazes. "Get into lines; make sure there's one full pole-length between you and the next man. Practice begins now!"

Standing in her spot, Mulan looked out the corner of her eyes at the men surrounding her. Each one of them holding poles, determined looks on their faces as they stared forward. Looking at the captain, Mulan had a feeling that she was really going to get it if she messed up again. Just then, she felt her collar being pulled back and something dropped onto her back. A very spiny, tickly, biting something. Jerking at the sudden discomfort upon her sensitive back, Mulan tried to dislodge the insect.

Watching the scene from above, Mushu moaned and covered his eyes, unable to force himself to watch the chaos being wrecked. Peeking through his fingers, he watched as his little warrior single-handedly demolished the entire company and then slammed the butt of her pole into that pretty-boy captain's stomach as a bonus. Grinning, he whistled loudly and waved a small number-one hand. "Yeah, that's the way to do it! Hit him again!"

_Miles from the training camp, the charred remains of a village fed the fire that had ended its life. The Hun army galloped on, an ominous cloud of dust rising from the thudding hooves of their steeds. High above them, a hunting falcon swooped through the sky, a harbinger of death. A figure dressed in imperial armour lay upon the cold earth, an arrow sticking from his back. His face was locked in a mask of horror, marring the beauty of his youth. He could not have been more than 18. The Hun army moved on, a grim smile playing at their leader's lips. It wouldn't be long now until his day arrived. _

Yueh twitched her nose in sleep as a passing dragonfly decided to use it as resting stop. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up, stretching lazily. Looking about, she frowned confusedly, forgetting where she was for a second. Then it came to her, she had gone for a walk, and also to visit the boy from before. Plucking a few blades of grass, she began to weave them together carelessly. Now that she thought about it, it was odd how delicately pretty he was. Finishing her grass braid, she stood, dusting off her skirt and set off towards the direction of the other tents.

Mulan whimpered in fear as she watched Shang stomp up to her. She was lifted right up on tippy-toes as her grabbed her collar and brought their faces close together. "I will make a man out of you, even if it kills me," he hissed. "Now, get back in line and no more funny stuff, or else." Mulan grunted as Shang dropped her roughly. Raising his voice, Shang glared at the other men. "We will finish with staff exercises. Then, each man will attempt to scale the pole 5 more times. Any man that does not do so will be on kitchen duty."

Several pairs of angry eyes were immediately turned on Mulan. Sighing, Mulan's shoulders drooped. Rejoining the formation, she decided that this definitely was not one of her better ideas.

Yueh was in high spirits. The sun was shining and a gentle breeze teased her hair, blowing strands of it across her face. Stopping in front of the tent she shared with her brother, she lifted a questioning eyebrow at him. "How was morning practice?" Her question was met with the most deadpan look she'd ever seen. "That bad, huh?" Shang stared at the men attempting to scale the pole. "They are the most pathetic bunch I've ever seen. That new boy, Ping, he single-handedly demolished the entire company!"

Pursing her lips, Yueh stared thoughtfully at the figure of Ping. "Hmm…" Shang stared at her, suddenly wary. "Oh no….Ooohh no." Yueh yelped as she was suddenly spun around to face her brother. "You are not, I repeat, you are not going to go near that boy. Never." Yueh opened her mouth. "Never. Ever. I forbid you to go near that boy." Yueh pulled herself free of his grasp. "Calm down, brother. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

Shang watched her as she made her way down to the main group of men. She's a big girl, she's a big girl, she can take care of herself… This didn't stop him from following her and glaring daggers at any man whose eyes lingered too long on her for his liking.

Mulan sighed tiredly as she removed the weights from her arms and handed them to the next man in line with considerable relief. He jerked them from her with a glare and she grimaced, turning to trudge back towards her campsite. Halfway there, she was suddenly aware of another person walking beside her. Turning her head, she blinked in surprise. "Yueh…?"

The girl smiled at her cheerfully. "How's it going? My brother told me you single-handedly wrecked the entire company." Mulan groaned loudly. "Ugh, don't remind me."

Yueh chuckled. "Don't worry, it wasn't that bad. Mind you, he really seems to hate you." Ping sighed loudly, rubbing his arms. "He hated the idea of me hanging out with you even more." The boy stopped. Yueh halted as well, gouging her companion's reaction to her words.

Mulan froze, a cold chill of fear running down her spine. "Ah." She unconsciously leaned away from Yueh, and then began walked away rather quickly.

Behind, Yueh watched him go and sighed dejectedly. Honestly, her brother seemed to chase away every single half-decent male that she met, even when she just wanted to be friends. Quickening her pace, she caught up with Ping. "Calm down. We're just talking. Brother can't find a reason to do anything to you….yet." Ping gave her a look of pure, abject terror. "And that is just so comforting because I really love to be killed for something that isn't even my fault." Yueh smothered a giggle. "You're quite interesting. I think I'll like you."

Mulan glanced at the other girl. On one hand, the girl was the captain's sister and therefore hanging out with her was potentially life-threatening. On the other hand, it was very lonely with only a horse, a dragon and a cricket to talk to. Yet Yueh thought that she was a boy… Mulan sighed again. Flapping a hand at Yueh, she continued towards her tent, indicating that their conversation was done. "See you tomorrow Flowerboy! I'll convince my brother that you aren't as useless as he thinks you are."

Later, lying in her tent and staring up at the slanted canvas top, Mulan thought back to her conversation with Yueh. The girl was annoying, popped up at the most unlikely of times and places and seemed determined to be part of her life. It was downright weird and slightly creepy. Oddly though, Mulan didn't really mind it. She couldn't deny that she was lonely among the hordes of men, who were nauseatingly disgusting at times. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to make friends with Yueh. She couldn't reveal that she was a girl but female companionship would be a godsend.

Her mind made up, she flipped over and went to sleep, gently shoving Mushu off her straw mattress. Tomorrow she would be more friendly to Yueh and hopefully she might actually make it through this army training without losing her mind from loneliness.


End file.
